The Marshall University Fishing Team is set to debut its new Malone’s Marine Marshall Bass Super Series this Saturday on Sutton Lake. The new Super Series is made up of 50 teams that feature all four previous Marshall Fishing Cup Champions (Lee Hess/Josh Miller, Kenny McSweeney/Randall Fields, Bill Shelton/James Pack, and Cody Huddleston/Zach Horrocks). It also features the two-time Team of the Year winners (Tim Cline/Tyler Cline) as well as 2020 Team of the Year winners (Charlie Epperly/Ken Bragg).
The field will feature eight teams that have won regular trail tournaments in the past as well as TOY winners;
Mick Sansom/Keith Sansom (Keith won the Grayson Open in 2019)
Matthew Berry/Aaron Berry (Matthew won the Grayson Open with Keith in 2019)
Brian Fitzgerald/Dylan Fitzgerald (Sutton 2019 Open winners)
Aaron Hayes/David Halcombe (two time Open winners)
Eli Brown/Mark Thomas (Summersville 2021 Open winners)
Mike Samples/Luke Stewart (Mike has won two Opens)
Cody Huddleston/Zach Horrocks (The only team to win both an Open and The Cup)
Tim Cline/Tyler Cline (The Cline’s have won two Opens and two TOY titles)
Needless to say, there is an abundance of talent throughout the field and it will make for some interesting stories throughout the season.
The new Malone’s Marine Marshall Bass Super Series consists of five tournaments. After five tournaments the top 40 in points will qualify for The 2023 Marshall Fishing Cup. The top 47 in points will re-qualify for the 2024 Marshall Bass Super Series and the bottom three in points will drop out. The Super Series was formed after the WVDNR changed tournament regulations by only allowing a certain number of tournament boats on each public ramp per day.
Sutton Lake is slated to host the opening tournament on Saturday after pumping out some remarkable weights just a few weeks ago during the Malone’s Marine Marshall Bass Open Series. Luke Long and Nathan Harper won that tournament with 14 pounds, 6 ounces.
“I haven’t been on the lake much since the Open win, but looking at everything I would assume if you can get around that 12 pound mark you’re going to be hard to beat,” Luke Long told us. “With the rising water it can really go either way, it could be really good or really bad. With the warm weather recently and just the time of the year, there are going to be some big ones caught.”
Since April 1st the lake has rose a little over 16 foot, but the outflow is holding steady at 1,000 (cfs). Weather forecasted for Saturday shows a low of 38 that morning but getting to 61 in the afternoon.
But as always when you field 50 of the best teams in West Virginia, someone is going to land on them.
Last year the Marshall Fishing Team held an Open there and shattered the record for numbers of competitors at 74 boats. Mike Samples, who is fishing the Super Series this year is looking to repeat that same success this year.
“I feel like the way we won last year, it can definitely be the way it is won this year,” said Samples. “This year I have Luke (Stewart) fishing with me and I am very excited to fish with him. He is young, but he can flat out catch them. I would honestly put him up against just about anyone at certain times of the year.”
“We are super excited for the new season and the start of something new,” said Marshall Fishing President Bailey McKinney. “The Super Series is going to be a test of the best anglers in the state of West Virginia. We are beyond grateful to have this thing filled up. Means a lot for us and the team to have everyone believe in what we are doing and I can’t wait to see where the season goes.”
Takeoff begins at 7:00am on Saturday and weigh-in starts at 3:00pm on Saturday at Bee Run Ramp at Sutton. Follow along with everyone thing Marshall Bass Super Series on Facebook!
